DR Congo's key opposition figure exits dialogue deepening uncertainty

Barely a week after the Democratic Republic Congo’s Catholic church returned to the negotiating table with the government and the opposition to unlock the ongoing political stalemate, a top official of DRC’s main opposition party has exited the talks.

Jean -Marc Kabund the secretary general of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), termed the dialogue as ‘a big joke’.

The talks were suspended after the death of opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi on February 1, and were to resume after his funeral which has also faced delays.

Jean-Marc argues that the presidential majority is showing bad faith and has created stumbling blocks to delay the implementation of a power-sharing deal agreed on new years’ eve.

President Joseph Kabila is expected to step down after elections which must be held before the end of this year,according to the agreement.

This latest turn of events shrouds the dialogue in more uncertainty as the country continues to face growing violence.

Already, the UN is looking to boost its peace keeping mission in the country as tensions over the long-delayed elections have caused violence to spread into new areas.